Beginner Clubs Dilemma

[luckydutch]

My in-laws bought me some golf lessons for my birthday and ever since I've been hooked! I've begging anyone I know who is into golf to take me to driving ranges to practice as often as I can and I'm improving very quickly. However, untill this point I've been borrowing clubs and now I really need my own set, especially if I'm going to play a proper course.

I have an inherited set (in decent condition but it's got to be at least 15 years old) but it's about an inch too short for me on the shaft length and I have no idea what the lie angles are. I've done a ping measurement test and came out at +1/2 inch and +2-3 lie angle. If I use a club that's an inch to short it's almost like adding another +10 lie angle to my already upright angle, right? Not ideal, I would imagine!

Here's the dilemma then: do I make do with that set for now to get me started and then add to it over time or do I look to buy something that fits me properly from the get-go?

I'm a little reluctant to go-big from day one and get a new set of fitted irons - that's a big investment to make in a new sport before I know for certain what my long-term relationship with it will be. I've also read that your swing and thus your lie angle can change a lot in the first 12 months so what works for me now might now be perfect in a year's time.

So what are my other options? Buying second hand seems a bit of a minefield and there doesn't seem to be much choice if you're looking specifically at +1/2 inch clubs. The good irons don't seem that much cheaper than the new sets either!

I could pay to extend and regrip the inherited ones I have but for 9 irons I'm looking at close to 200 for that. Feels like I'd be better off buying some already at the correct size than investing that much to adjust such old clubs.

Would really appreciate the benefit of some of the experience here to guide me. It's a really tough decision to make!

 

[Jason89er]

First off welcome to THP!
As for the clubs…..With all respect to Pings fitting recommendation ordering online, I would not base my purchase off of this. Anyone dropping that kind of money on irons would be best off getting an on-site fitting.
With you being a new golfer, being overly concerned about loft and lie ect is probably a bit premature. 1/2 of length should not overly impact your swing or purchase decision in my opinion. If it were me I would buy a standard set. Don’t invest a lot money in them. Buy used or buy a full set in a box. Can even find those used. eBay, 2nd Swing ect. Spend that extra money on more lessons and range balls. Or buy a net and a practice mat and practice at home.

Better equipment will help you some yes. But that money is better invested in more lessons in my opinion. Especially if you are working with someone who is helping you progress quickly. Most golfers will tell you if they could go back in time they would do this instead of the endless search for the right clubs.

Good luck!

 

[SandyEggo]

I recently went through purchasing clubs as a newer player. It can be a bit daunting. My fitter said length and lie angle aren't nearly as important in the beginning as getting the right shaft flex for your swing speed. He told me once I have a solid, repeatable swing then we could look at a 1/4-1/2" length adjustment. But another thing to keep in mind with golf is that if you ask 3 people the same question, you can get 3 different answers! LOL

Knowing how tall you are and what your budget is could help people steer you in the right direction.

 

[luckydutch]

First off welcome to THP!
As for the clubs…..With all respect to Pings fitting recommendation ordering online, I would not base my purchase off of this. Anyone dropping that kind of money on irons would be best off getting an on-site fitting.
With you being a new golfer, being overly concerned about loft and lie ect is probably a bit premature. 1/2 of length should not overly impact your swing or purchase decision in my opinion. If it were me I would buy a standard set. Don’t invest a lot money in them. Buy used or buy a full set in a box. Can even find those used. eBay, 2nd Swing ect. Spend that extra money on more lessons and range balls. Or buy a net and a practice mat and practice at home.

Better equipment will help you some yes. But that money is better invested in more lessons in my opinion. Especially if you are working with someone who is helping you progress quickly. Most golfers will tell you if they could go back in time they would do this instead of the endless search for the right clubs.

Good luck!

Thank you for the warm welcome and sage advice!

I think you’re definitely right that lessons and range balls are the best use of my money right now. The only thing that has made me a little concerned about the clubs is, depending on who you ask, some people say it can cause bad habits that are hard to break later, using the wrong size club.

If I fade a shot because my lie angle is off, who cares at this stage? But if it’s going to cause me to develop an inferior swing then that might be false economy.

In your experience is that true or just something people say to sell you new clubs?

With regards to my clubs, I think they might be half an inch below standard which would mean a full inch below what I need. I measured the 7 iron with tape and it was about 36.75 inches from holy to where the club would naturally meet the floor. I understand that standard would be 37?

I haven’t had a proper professional measuring yet but my instructor did get me to hit a few balls off one of those ping lie boards with some tape on the bottom of my club. I’m not 100% consistent in my swing so the results weren’t perfect but looked to be +2 or +3 degree lie angle with the +1/2 inch club I was borrowing from him for the lesson.


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[luckydutch]

I recently went through purchasing clubs as a newer player. It can be a bit daunting. My fitter said length and lie angle aren't nearly as important in the beginning as getting the right shaft flex for your swing speed. He told me once I have a solid, repeatable swing then we could look at a 1/4-1/2" length adjustment. But another thing to keep in mind with golf is that if you ask 3 people the same question, you can get 3 different answers! LOL

Knowing how tall you are and what your budget is could help people steer you in the right direction.

Hey thanks for the response and good to hear from someone who’s just been through the same process.

I’m 6ft3 and I don’t really have a fixed budget, I can afford to get what I need to enjoy the sport but I want to spend my money intelligently.

Does that help?


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[thewilderside]

Hey thanks for the response and good to hear from someone who’s just been through the same process.

I’m 6ft3 and I don’t really have a fixed budget, I can afford to get what I need to enjoy the sport but I want to spend my money intelligently.

Does that help?


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If I were you, having no budgetary constraints, get a professional fitting. You'll get that right lie and length, and get to try out the full spectrum of irons and shafts to get the best set for you.

 

[SandyEggo]

Hey thanks for the response and good to hear from someone who’s just been through the same process.

I’m 6ft3 and I don’t really have a fixed budget, I can afford to get what I need to enjoy the sport but I want to spend my money intelligently.

Does that help?

So you're at the upper limit for standard length clubs and could probably benefit from a little extra length. If budget is not a major concern, the best thing to do is go get fit. I was a little resistant to the idea at first as well. But my coach said something along the lines of "Golf is hard enough already. You don't want to be fighting the equipment. Start with what fits your body and this will be a much more enjoyable process."

Out here an iron fitting is $75 - $150 depending on where you go. Some might even comp that if you buy clubs. I was thinking of going the used route too but since golf is so popular thanks to the pandemic, used stuff is maybe 10-15% cheaper than new. At least the stuff I was looking at. If you do decide to go that way, 2nd Swing and the Callaway Preowned site would be two good places to start.

Edited to add, I went to my first lesson without any clubs. My coach gave me some ancient 7 iron to take home so I had something to hit. Took it to the range a handful of times and it was a challenge. I got my new clubs on Friday evening. Took them to the range yesterday and damn, what a difference. I went with graphite shafts so they're lighter and easier for me to swing. Consistent contact with the ball improved dramatically. Was able to get the ball up in the air and 160-ish yards on my 7 iron. I've got a lot of work to do but now I know the clubs aren't standing in my way!

 

[Scorp]

Welcome to THP.

Lots of people will give lots of answers... if you like golf and want new clubs, get them.

Budget Golf
Callaway Pre Owned
2nd Swing
Rock Bottom Golf
Craigslist
Facebook marketplace
ebay
These are just some of the places people sell clubs. If you're right handed you've got a lot better chance of finding something than a lefty would. That's not to say lefty clubs aren't out there but the selection is more limited.

A lot of clubs made within the past 15 years are still viable and good. There's nothing wrong with getting something more recent though. Massive technological and metallurgical changes have been made to clubs and club faces within the past 5 years.

Look at Touredge... they're just as good as the big names like Callaway, Taylor Made, Ping, Srixon, etc for a bit less money.

 

[YukonLiving]

Welcome to THP!!

Length of clubs can be quite variable depending on the set and manufacturer. For instance, these are stock 7-iron measurements from my last 3 sets of clubs:

Nike Vapor Speed
7 - 32* loft - 37.75”

Mizuno MP-57
7 - 35* loft - 36.75”

Mizuno MP-18 SC
7 - 34* loft - 36.75”

I don’t think that playing the set you have would cause terrible swing flaws if they’re 1/2” short.

I’d spend my money on range balls, greens fees and lessons if they were available. Then I’d look at a club fitting, and then finally new/used clubs once you’ve decided that you’re going to stick with the game.

 

[Jason89er]

Thank you for the warm welcome and sage advice!

I think you’re definitely right that lessons and range balls are the best use of my money right now. The only thing that has made me a little concerned about the clubs is, depending on who you ask, some people say it can cause bad habits that are hard to break later, using the wrong size club.

If I fade a shot because my lie angle is off, who cares at this stage? But if it’s going to cause me to develop an inferior swing then that might be false economy.

In your experience is that true or just something people say to sell you new clubs?

With regards to my clubs, I think they might be half an inch below standard which would mean a full inch below what I need. I measured the 7 iron with tape and it was about 36.75 inches from holy to where the club would naturally meet the floor. I understand that standard would be 37?

I haven’t had a proper professional measuring yet but my instructor did get me to hit a few balls off one of those ping lie boards with some tape on the bottom of my club. I’m not 100% consistent in my swing so the results weren’t perfect but looked to be +2 or +3 degree lie angle with the +1/2 inch club I was borrowing from him for the lesson.


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Adding length or removing length can cause poor swing habits as well. But no a 1/2 inch shorter club will not be the primary reason you hit a slice. A longer club won’t fix an open face when contact is made. It won’t prevent anyone from swinging the club over the top. These are the primary reasons why the ball slices.

Most clubs sets are all different lengths. Getting longer as the loft decreases. By length logic you would hit your 6 iron straight but your 7 iron you would slice because it’s a 1/2 inch shorter? I think you get the idea. Work on the swing first. Worry about dialing in loft, lie, club length later. Those are for really dialing things in. Not for fixing huge issues like a slice. Don’t chase the perfect club for you. Chase the perfect swing for you. Then you can decide which clubs work best for you and your swing.

I hope the takeaway from this is that great clubs will not fix a poor swing. It just won’t. You can give a scratch golfer a 25 year old set of clubs for 20 bucks from a garage sale. And give a 30 handicap player a fully fitted 3,000 dollar set of Pings. The low handicapper will still beat the pants off the higher handicapper. It won’t even be close. Better swings make better golfers. Not better clubs.

Lessons, Practice, Go play golf. Rinse and repeat. And have FUN doing it!

 

[luckydutch]

Welcome to THP!!

Length of clubs can be quite variable depending on the set and manufacturer. For instance, these are stock 7-iron measurements from my last 3 sets of clubs:

Nike Vapor Speed
7 - 32* loft - 37.75”

Mizuno MP-57
7 - 35* loft - 36.75”

Mizuno MP-18 SC
7 - 34* loft - 36.75”

I don’t think that playing the set you have would cause terrible swing flaws if they’re 1/2” short.

I’d spend my money on range balls, greens fees and lessons if they were available. Then I’d look at a club fitting, and then finally new/used clubs once you’ve decided that you’re going to stick with the game.

Ah that's reassuring, thank you! So if these clubs are only 1/2 inch short, it's probably not too bad. Surely worth using them at least for a while to get me out on a course and playing?

I'm not at all opposed to getting a proper fitting and new irons at some point but to me it feels like I'd get more value from that when I have improved a little and know what my swing is like, what my strengths and weaknesses in my game are etc.

If I wait till I'm a bit better, I might be more inclined to buy brand-new as well rather than second hand.

 

[luckydutch]

Adding length or removing length can cause poor swing habits as well. But no a 1/2 inch shorter club will not be the primary reason you hit a slice. A longer club won’t fix an open face when contact is made. It won’t prevent anyone from swinging the club over the top. These are the primary reasons why the ball slices.

Most clubs sets are all different lengths. Getting longer as the loft decreases. By length logic you would hit your 6 iron straight but your 7 iron you would slice because it’s a 1/2 inch shorter? I think you get the idea. Work on the swing first. Worry about dialing in loft, lie, club length later. Those are for really dialing things in. Not for fixing huge issues like a slice. Don’t chase the perfect club for you. Chase the perfect swing for you. Then you can decide which clubs work best for you and your swing.

I hope the takeaway from this is that great clubs will not fix a poor swing. It just won’t. You can give a scratch golfer a 25 year old set of clubs for 20 bucks from a garage sale. And give a 30 handicap player a fully fitted 3,000 dollar set of Pings. The low handicapper will still beat the pants off the higher handicapper. It won’t even be close. Better swings make better golfers. Not better clubs.

Lessons, Practice, Go play golf. Rinse and repeat. And have FUN doing it!

That's interesting! So is a 7 iron that's half an inch too short sort of just like swinging an 8 iron?

I'd imagine the trajectory might be slightly off-center as you've tilted the club head a few degrees upright but if I hit a ball straight with no slice and it's slightly off to the right, that's workable. I can play and enjoy golf like that.

 

[Stryker]

As others have said, I would not trust that online tool. Lie angle has a lot to do with how you hold and deliver the club not just how tall you are. Go get fit. Most courses have a pro there that can fit you. Then if you want to save some cash, go to Callaway Preowned and order from there. Wait until the weekly sale is for irons to save even more.

 

[luckydutch]

As others have said, I would not trust that online tool. Lie angle has a lot to do with how you hold and deliver the club not just how tall you are. Go get fit. Most courses have a pro there that can fit you. Then if you want to save some cash, go to Callaway Preowned and order from there. Wait until the weekly sale is for irons to save even more.

Apologies, I probably wasn't clear in my wording.

By ping board, I don't mean the chart. I mean I used one of those lie angle boards which is like a plastic board you hit some balls off while having some special tape on the bottom of my iron to see where the strike was.

It wasn't a perfect process though - my swing isn't super consistent yet so there was a tiny bit of a spread with the marks on the tape.

 

[Stryker]

Apologies, I probably wasn't clear in my wording.

By ping board, I don't mean the chart. I mean I used one of those lie angle boards which is like a plastic board you hit some balls off while having some special tape on the bottom of my iron to see where the strike was.

It wasn't a perfect process though - my swing isn't super consistent yet so there was a tiny bit of a spread with the marks on the tape.

Honestly if you get lessons, and you should, your swing is going to change how you deliver the club. That will impact your lie angle. A 3* change is quite a bit. I would suggest start with finding a local pro and explain to them you are starting out and need a lesson and fitting. Your friends that play golf can probably make a recommendation for you on who is good in your area. Kill 2 birds with one stone. They can get you started on good basics and most likely have a fitting cart for at least one brand that will have multiple shafts and heads with different lie angles. Now those will usually be current production stuff but once you know what shaft and lie angle it is pretty easy to find something used unless the shaft is something off the wall.

 

[luckydutch]

Honestly if you get lessons, and you should, your swing is going to change how you deliver the club. That will impact your lie angle. A 3* change is quite a bit. I would suggest start with finding a local pro and explain to them you are starting out and need a lesson and fitting. Your friends that play golf can probably make a recommendation for you on who is good in your area. Kill 2 birds with one stone. They can get you started on good basics and most likely have a fitting cart for at least one brand that will have multiple shafts and heads with different lie angles. Now those will usually be current production stuff but once you know what shaft and lie angle it is pretty easy to find something used unless the shaft is something off the wall.

Good idea, thanks. I got a lesson from the shop pro/instructor at my father in-law's club and have another lesson coming up with him soon.

I got tremendous value from the first one, actually. I hadn't swung a golf club since I was a kid, playing at the pitch and put and within 45 minutes he had me making some really nice shots with the 7 iron. Really looking forward to the next one!

Seemed like their fitting setup was a bit on the basic side though. I might find there is somewhere more sophisticated in and around London where I currently live. Will look into it, thanks.

 

[Stryker]

Good idea, thanks. I got a lesson from the shop pro/instructor at my father in-law's club and have another lesson coming up with him soon.

I got tremendous value from the first one, actually. I hadn't swung a golf club since I was a kid, playing at the pitch and put and within 45 minutes he had me making some really nice shots with the 7 iron. Really looking forward to the next one!

Seemed like their fitting setup was a bit on the basic side though. I might find there is somewhere more sophisticated in and around London where I currently live. Will look into it, thanks.

Getting lessons is the way to go and I am glad to hear you are doing that. I think I had somewhere between 6 and 8 before I ever set foot on a course to play and I was still really bad. I started playing later in life at 38 years old. I am about to turn 42 soon and it will be four years next month when I started. I still take lessons regularly. I can see a huge difference even this year from the lessons. The key is to find an instructor you really like and work well with and then trust them to do their job. Things will get better then worse then even better as you go. Just make sure you are practicing regularly between lessons to ingrain the previous lesson. It takes a lot of time and work to go from starting out to have a nicely developed swing. I am just now getting where I am pretty happy with my irons, as Dechambau would say though “Driver sux!” I take pretty regular lessons though and this year has been a major focus on hitting irons better.

Make sure at some point your pro is working with you on putting, chipping, bunkers, and pitching too. You can save the most strokes by being solid in all those areas. You have also found a really great community here at THP with other golfers of ALL skill levels who you can talk to and get advice and encouragement. Stick around and be active here. By all means join the Albatross club here. Any member here will tell you it is the best money you will spend on golf all year and it is only $35.

 

[Carolina Golfer]

Sub70 clubs have a neat fitting calculator that seems to be accurate on their web site. Sub70, Ben Hogan and TourEdge have demo programs and are good value clubs.

 

[Sean]

I experienced something similar. My first set was bought off the rack, and I knew nothing. About a year into the game I went to get fitted for clubs...turns out the standard set is 2-inches too short for me, and the lie angle was too flat. Obviously that had a drastic affect on my swing. I would suggest getting a fitting at a place where you can see your ball flight. You wouldn't run a marathon in a pair of size 10 shoes if you are a size 12. Good luck!

 

[YukonLiving]

Ah that's reassuring, thank you! So if these clubs are only 1/2 inch short, it's probably not too bad. Surely worth using them at least for a while to get me out on a course and playing?

I'm not at all opposed to getting a proper fitting and new irons at some point but to me it feels like I'd get more value from that when I have improved a little and know what my swing is like, what my strengths and weaknesses in my game are etc.

If I wait till I'm a bit better, I might be more inclined to buy brand-new as well rather than second hand.

I definitely subscribe to this school of thought as well. From my own experience, my swing has definitely improved as I've played more and worked on some consistency. That said, golf bags are always changing.

 

[Carolina Golfer]

Also, it should't cost 200 to extend clubs and get new grips. There are so many good grip deals on line. If you're near a golf galaxy or dick's they can extend them for 6 bucks each. Lie angle is a different story.